What is the Premasters (Brückensemester)?

Gisma’s Premasters (Brückensemester) is a short, focused bridging semester (pre-master) designed for applicants whose undergraduate degree does not fully meet the subject prerequisites for a chosen MSc / MEng at GISMA. It gives you core subject knowledge, academic skills and credits so you can move into the MSc programme with confidence. The Premaster is recognised as 30 ECTS (half a year).

 

Why take the Premasters?

• Fill knowledge gaps — if your bachelor’s degree is in another field (e.g., humanities, arts) but you want to move into a STEM, business or technical master’s.

• Meet entry requirements — successful completion is accepted as proof of subject competency for MSc admission.

• Short & focused — 6 months (30 ECTS) — faster and cheaper than repeating a full year of undergraduate study.

 

Subjects / programme structure (what you study)

While module names can vary by the master’s pathway (business, engineering, data, project management), the Premaster focuses on core preparatory topics to equip you for master-level study. Typical module types include:

• Foundations of the chosen discipline (e.g., Business Fundamentals / Marketing Basics for business MScs; Mathematics & Programming Fundamentals for technical MScs)

• Academic skills & research methods (study skills, academic writing, research techniques)

• Digital competencies & tool training (where relevant: Excel, basic programming, statistics)

• Subject-specific bridging modules: e.g., for Project Management — project fundamentals; for Data Science — mathematics & introductory programming; for Supply Chain — logistics basics.

• Assessment: combination of coursework, group projects and exams; total workload aligns to ~125 hours per module (≈25 hours per ECTS).

 

Disciplines / specialisations

The Premaster is offered as a pathway into multiple MSc programmes at GISMA — common target disciplines include:

• Business / International Business / Marketing

• Project Management

• Data Science & AI

• Supply Chain & Logistics

• Computer Science / Engineering pathways

 

Career outcomes

• The Premaster by itself is a pathway (not a terminal qualification) — its value is to enable entry into a GISMA MSc, and that MSc then supports career outcomes such as:

  • Management / specialist roles in your chosen field (depending on the MSc)

  • Industry placements and better employability compared to entering an MSc without subject knowledge

  • Faster transition into graduate roles because you avoided re-doing irrelevant undergraduate content.

 

Latest updates / special requirements

• Regulatory note: Gisma’s study regulations explicitly allow the Examination Board to require a Brückensemester (30 ECTS) when the applicant’s previous education is not subject-related. The board decides admission in such special cases. Always have your transcript and module descriptions ready — these can allow recognition of prior learning instead of a Premaster.

• Operational updates: GISMA continues to run Premasters mapped to many MSc programmes (business, tech, data). Because procedures (intakes, fees, scholarship availability) are updated periodically, confirm the current brochure or ask admissions before applying.